Photo by Chris.

Metro is starting a “maintenance surge” and Red Line riders will begin to see its effects today, when single-tracking begins.

On April 28 and 29, Red Line trains between Medical Center and Van Ness stations will single track from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.. On Thursday, that single tracking will resume from 8 p.m. through system closing, while on Friday it will run from 10 p.m. through system closing.

“Passengers should allow additional time when traveling during these times,” Metro advises.

Track work on the Red Line will continue during the weekend, as well. Metro expects regular service to begin again on Monday.

The latest incidents on Metro’s Red Line—from a fire near Friendship Heights on Saturday, caused by a foreign object coming into contact with the third rail, to smoke near the same location yesterday morning—have not been related to the power cables that prompted the March shutdown of the entire system. The maintenance will involve arcing insulators, which prevent the third rail’s electricity from coming into contact with other substances that conduct electricity.

Metro said in an October report that one third of the system’s problems with arcing insulators occur in the tunnel from Friendship Heights to Medical Center.